Equine Internship

WHO SHOULD APPLY?
• New graduates eager to dive into equine practice while maintaining exposure to small animal cases.
• Veterinarians looking to strengthen their equine knowledge, whether aiming for mixed animal practice, equine-exclusive roles, or further specialization.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
• Our internship provides a comprehensive range of clinical skills, preparing you for various career paths. Past interns have advanced to residencies, worked as mixed or equine veterinarians both locally and internationally, and some have continued with us as associates.

CASELOAD HIGHLIGHTS
• 15- 30 cases seen in hospital per day between in-patients and out-patients
• Orthopaedic/sport medicine, lacerations, colics, pneumonias, diarrhoeas, neonates, routine/advanced dentistry, and ophthalmology cases – you name it, we have likely seen it.
• Small ruminant and camelid cases.
• Small animal cases tailored to intern interest and caseload.

LOCATION
• 30 minutes from Brisbane CBD
• Located conveniently between the Sunshine and Gold Coast, giving the best of both worlds.

BENEFITS
• Salary in line with the Veterinary Service Award.
• 1 week of conference/study leave and 4 weeks of holiday leave.
• Subsidised, furnished rental accommodation 2 minutes from the clinic.

ELIGIBILITY
• Eligible for registration with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland
• Start Date: January 2026

A DAY IN THE LIFE FROM A 2025 INTERN

7:00AM: Morning treatments. One horse has shredded his bandage and is proudly wearing the remnants. The dummy foal is now standing (yay!) but has wrapped his fluid line around his body like a tourniquet.

8:15AM: Rounds with the senior vets. I nod along like I fully understand what is being said. I do not but am happy to learn as much as I can. No question is too small here, and the team encourages curiosity—which is good, because I have a lot of questions.

9:00AM: Procedure time. Could be nerve blocks and x-rays for a lameness, could be a colic workup, maybe even foal exam. I am assisting, learning, and occasionally pretending I know what structure the senior vet is pointing at. Bonus points if I do.

12:30PM: Lunch! Or it would be, if two emergencies had not shown up at the same time as a senior vet needs help with a prepurchase exam x-raying everything but the kitchen sink. Perform an abdominocentesis for the first time and get fluid!

1:30PM: Discharge the colic surgery from the weekend prior, owner hands me the box of chocolates as a thank you; contemplate hiding them from the rest of the team. Decide to share them after surgically extracting my favourites.

3:00PM: Finally sit down for lunch. Begin paperwork. Remember I hate paperwork. Paperwork senses this and multiplies.

4:00PM: Afternoon treatments. The Houdini in Box 1 has somehow tied himself in knots with his fluid line. A horse in the paddock doesn’t want to be caught and is doing laps like it is the Melbourne Cup. I’ve lost my stethoscope and can’t find a pen.

6:00PM: Technically off the clock, but my brain is still on. The on-call phone rings as I’m about to leave and my soul briefly exits my body. Thankfully, I am not required. I live to fight another day. Tired? Definitely. Still love it? Absolutely.

Ok, real talk: Yes, this is satire. Yes, the days are long, and the horses have a sixth sense for testing your mental stability. But also, there is nothing quite like learning from a team that supports you, growing more confident each week, and knowing you are doing work that really matters. If you are thinking about applying, do it. You will work hard, you will laugh often, and you absolutely will not regret it.

Sound like your kind of chaos? We would love to hear from you. We strongly recommend visiting but understand that this is not a reality for everyone. We are happy to get you in touch with current and past interns after applying so you can ask them any questions that you may have.

Please send your current CV (including references) and a cover letter to:
margaux@westvets.com.au
nathan@westvets.com.au
CC: info@westvets.com.au
Make sure to use ‘Internship Application’ as your subject line so we do not miss it!